The Journey to Health of an Anxious and Depressed IBS Sufferer

Hi, I'm Benny.

6 years ago I was a relatively normal New Zealand teenager dealing with high school, friends and boys. You couldn't get any more cliché. Add on 16,000 earthquakes and aftershocks and life became a minefield. I found everyday to be a struggle. All feelings of safety and security had disappeared from my life and I was left feeling overwhelmed and helpless.

Fast forward two years, and you find me clinically depressed and severely anxious. At the time, I didn't know how to cope with these mental illnesses and so I managed to burn myself out just trying to keep up with everyone else. I exhausted myself and went to a very dark place in my mind. Hopelessness and negativity became my every thought. Not long after I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety I became health-crazy and lost 12 kilos with a restrictive diet and a lot of high intensity exercises. This helped my physical body but my mind was still a mess. I didn't really comprehend the changes I had gone through and still saw myself as the chubby teenager. The obsession had taken over my every thought and I found I was always tense and couldn't relax unless I was exercising or doing something to lose more weight.

The stress of constantly obsessing over my body, my weight and pushing myself further than I could cope with led me to be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a condition I have had for over two years now. IBS is the technical term for when your digestive system becomes incredibly sensitive and reacts (often violently) to certain foods, for example apples. This condition has resulted in many unbearably painful days of constant toilet visits and an inability to stand up straight.

Over the last two years and even now I have been refining my views on food, stress, my body and IBS. As time goes on and I discover more about myself and food I have noticed massive improvement in my health, both physical and mental. 'Desperate Healthwise' was created as a platform for me to share my journey to health and hopefully help and encourage others who may be in the same predicament.

I hope as you explore my blog, you may discover ways to improve your health and in turn your life, because no one should be held down by ill health.